


A Second Chance

by WerewolfKing350



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Baby Harry, Cute, De-Aged Harry Potter, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Good Dumbledore, Good Petunia Dursley, Good Tom Riddle, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Nice Severus Snape, Not Beta Read, Reincarnation, Second Chances, Slash, Smart Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-06 13:13:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12211986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WerewolfKing350/pseuds/WerewolfKing350
Summary: Harry went through the veil after Sirius and now everything is different. First, he finds himself laying in a crib and now he finds out he's the son of Severus Snape and Sirius Black... and this is only the beginning. Watch as Harry gets the opportunity to grow up in a normal environment with a loving family. And what does Dumbledore know about this? More importantly, how will Harry deal with his newfound body and its limitations.Just an idea that crossed my mind one day and I've decided to go with it.





	1. Chapter 1

Looking back at his decision, jumping through the veil after Sirius probably wasn't the smartest decision Harry had ever made. Actually, it was without a doubt the dumbest thing Harry could have done but he was so consumed by grief and confusion that his mind didn't even register what he'd done until it was too late. Yes, his brain registered his actions about half a second before he fell through the veil after his godfather. Yes, much too late because he was already falling and then there was nothing.

Darkness; darkness was all Harry knew from that point but it was a surreal darkness. Was this the afterlife? Was this what he could expect for the rest of eternity? Nothing?

There were no sounds, no sights, nothing that caused his senses to pick up anything and somehow the sheer lack of surroundings was enough to put his senses into overload out of desperation to attach themselves to something, anything. The desperation to see, hear, feel, smell or taste something was almost crippling. Harry felt himself flailing, his mouth opening as he attempted to scream, but there was no sound.

Was this how his parents were existing? Sirius? Cedric?

Just as Harry was about to accept this as his fate, he felt himself falling and he felt himself automatically close his eyes and draw his arms close to his chest. All at once, Harry registered that he was now laying on something very soft and he felt warm and comfortable. His breathing was even and he could hear things; birds chirping, feet shuffling across a floor and... was somebody snoring? At a time like this? But it sounded far away.

Harry opened his eyes and found himself very confused by his surroundings. The first thing his eyes were drawn to was the moonlight streaming in from a window on the other side of the room. The next thing he noticed was bars in front of him; it looked like something you'd see in a jail movie but that didn't make sense. Glancing around the room. he could make out what looked like a rocking chair and toys? It was hard to tell because of how dark the room was, his only source of light was the moon and a small jar on the other side of the room which was softly glowing different shades of green, blue and yellow.

The more Harry glanced around, the more he could make out; there was a dresser, a mat, a bookshelf and... As he glanced around the room, he found himself overwhelmed by fatigue. He wasn't sure why but for some reason, he was exhausted and before he could come up with an explanation for his current situation, he was fast asleep.

***LINEBREAK***

Waking up again, he still felt like he was laying on something soft and he now felt warm all over; it felt like Harry was laying in bed. Maybe the whole thing at the ministry had been a nightmare and he was back in the Gryffindor common room. But this bed felt different somehow. Maybe he was in the hospital wing. At least he wasn't dead.

Opening his eyes, Harry found that he was in the same room as he was earlier but the only difference being, the room was now lit by bright rays of sunshine. If he was confused about his environment last night when he couldn't see it, he was completely confused now that he could see everything.

This was a nursery; a green and yellow nursery. There were toys in a bin, toys on a window sill, a yellow dresser, a green change table stocked with nappies and clothes. If that wasn't confusing enough, the fact that he was obviously in a crib certainly was. He was fifteen, almost sixteen, why was he lying in a crib? Harry sat up and looked around the room, this crib was really tall because even sitting up he couldn't see over the bars.

Just as Harry tried to focus his eyes on the things on the dresser, he felt a sudden warmth; it was strange, he wasn't sure why he was feeling the warmth and it was spreading. It wasn't until he registered the wetness that he realised what it was... No! He hadn't just done what he thought he had just done. But another burst of warmth confirmed it. As horrifying as that realisation was, he found himself wondering why he hadn't realised he needed to pee until he was already peeing.

Why was this happening? What was going on? Everything was so confusing and overwhelming and now he was peeing on himself? Harry couldn't remember the last time he had peed anywhere other than a toilet or bucket in his cupboard.

Soon enough Harry's thoughts were cut off when the door to the nursery opened and Severus Snape walked into the room wearing... pyjamas? If Harry wasn't so distressed by his current situation, he would have laughed at the sight of his feared potions master wearing pyjamas. And if the pyjamas weren't odd enough to see, the smile certainly was. It was like the man was happy to see Harry. Harry felt himself flush, of all the scenarios for his professor to walk in on, him wetting himself was the worst imaginable; next to walking into Potions class completely naked.

"Good morning, Harry! Did you sleep well?" Professor Snape asked Harry, he was wearing a smile and it looked genuine.

Harry found himself glancing curiously at the man who had always been scowling or yelling in all of his memories and to see the man addressing him like this was curious indeed. He wondered if the man was under a spell or something. Had someone cast the imperious on Snape?

Harry glanced down at the blanket that was still covering him, it was green and yellow knitted blanket and wondered just how soft it was. He brought his hand over to touch it and found himself alarmed by how tiny his hand was. That wasn't his hand, that was the hand of a baby! Throwing the blanket off, he found himself looking at a babies legs, feet, body and... this was a dream, this had to be a dream.

"Oh," Snape exclaimed as though he knew what Harry was trying to communicate. "Does somebody need a new nappy?"

Okay, it's time to wake up now, Harry thought to himself because the warmth had faded and was now replaced with a cold, wet feeling that left him feeling really uncomfortable.

Harry opened his mouth to sarcastically ask Snape if he needed a new nappy but found himself unable to properly form any words, only gibberish. It was as though Harry's mouth didn't know how to form words.

"I think you need a new nappy," Severus said once again, bending forward to pick Harry up. Harry shook his head, despite the fact that the man was going to discover the truth for himself. What exactly was the sense in lying? He was wet and uncomfortable and clearly, Snape wanted to do something about... Or mock him but somehow Harry didn't think Snape was in a mocking mood right now.

"No!" Severus exclaimed, his voice ringing with amusement as he scooped Harry easily into his arms. Slightly uneased by being so high off the ground, Harry found himself clinging to the man's shirt for comfort. Harry couldn't understand the worry, he flew higher than this on his broom but being this high up left him nervous. Harry was about to shake his head again when he felt a smaller warm feeling. Did he seriously just pee again? On Professor Snape? Shouldn't there be some kind of warning that he needed to pee?

Harry found himself laying on the change table with a large hand holding him down by his belly while Professor Snape rooted for what he was looking for. Looking around, Harry was wondering when he was going to wake up from this odd nightmare.

He was quickly brought back from his thoughts when he felt his pyjamas being snapped open and a rush of cold air hit his chest. Before he could stop it, a whimper escaped his mouth.

"I know, it's so cold! Once daddy changes your nappy, we'll get on some nice, warm clothes and have some breakfast," Professor Snape said, leaving Harry to wonder why he was calling himself daddy.

Once again, when Harry tried to question this, he found himself spitting out syllables and sounds but no actual words.

Finally, Harry's pyjama's were off and now Snape was working at opening the nappy. The rush of cold air that hit Harry was worse than when the pyjamas were first opened and to his horror, he started spraying pee everywhere, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Snape seemed prepared for this because he appeared to have cast some kind of shield over himself.

"Ha, ha, not today Harry; you won't give daddy a shower today, silly boy," Snape laughed, fixing a new nappy under Harry's bottom when he was done peeing again. Was it normal to pee this much? Once the nappy was secure, Harry took a second to notice how warm, soft and dry it felt; it probably wouldn't stay that way for long with the way things were looking.

Before Harry knew it, the man was putting clothes on him, it was nice to be warm and cosy again.

When the man was done dressing Harry, he picked up him and began carrying him towards the door. Before he left the room, he took out his wand and cast a quick spell towards the change table and soon, it was clean and the wet nappy was gone.

Harry heard his belly growl, causing Snape to grin and exclaim once again that it was, in fact, breakfast time. Despite the situation, Harry felt himself grinning at the idea of eating. His belly was growling louder now; he could figure out what was happening after breakfast.

Snape set Harry in what appeared to be a playpen before walking towards the kitchen, probably to make breakfast.

Glancing around the playpen, which had a surprising amount of space, Harry spotted a little mirror in the corner and decided to take a peek. Crawling over to the mirror was a bit of a journey but once he arrived at the mirror, he found himself glancing at a black-haired baby who greatly resembled Snape but there were features from another person as well and it obviously wasn't Lily because his eyes were grey, not green.

Harry didn't have time to ponder because before he knew it, he was being scooped up once again and carried towards a high chair where there was toast and jam waiting. But before Harry could take a bite, he noticed someone walking in and wrapping his arms around Snape and pulling the man into a kiss.

When the man was done kissing Snape, he turned around and smiled at Harry. Harry felt a small smile spread across his face as he came face to face with Sirius Black.

"And how are my two favourite men this morning?"


	2. Adjusting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry learns of his limitations and tries to make sense of the new world around him as he learns how much is different from what he is used to.

Questions exploded in Harry's mind as his tried to grip his toast and found the task harder than he had imagined and even harder was directing the toast to his mouth properly. It was like his hand only did what he wanted to about half the time. He couldn't remember the last time he had difficulty completing such a mundane task. To make it worse, he seemed to only get the food in his mouth once every few tries; for the most part, he would miss and hit the sides of his mouth.

"Mm, is that yummy, Harry?" Sirius asked Harry with a wide smile on his face. Harry was unsure how to react to Sirius speaking to him like this. Sure, Sirius was a cheerful bloke but it was still surreal hearing Sirius use baby-talk on Harry; though not as surreal as hearing it coming from Snape. Harry grinned and put a bite in his mouth before turning to watch Snape or 'daddy' as he was calling himself.

"You should have seen him this morning, Siri, he yanked off his blankets and made the cutest face... And he told his first lie! I asked if he needed a new nappy and he shook his head!" Severus said as he placed some more cereal on Harry's tray. "But I think he had a nightmare because he seemed a bit nervous and tense this morning. You'll keep an eye on him while you're out? I'm just hoping he's not starting to get sick."

"Of course, Sevvie," Sirius replied, making Harry glance up in shock. Weren't these men supposed to hate each other... now they're making googly eyes at each other and kissy faces. "I'll keep an eye out for anything out of the usual."

Snape was sitting at the table, sipping coffee and eating toast, while Sirius was now searching for something to eat for his own breakfast. Sirius finally settled on toast and jam and even broke off a few pieces for Harry. Once again he found himself fascinated by the feeling of the food on his toothless gums. The feeling of only having a few teeth was something he wasn't used to but it felt... strange to say the least.

Harry was still unable to believe that he was with Sirius again, even if he was a baby for whatever reason; though it was unexpected to see him locking lips with Snape and talking with each other like a married couple. This was becoming one of his weirdest dreams ever.

"Harry, do you want to go to the park with Dudley and the Weasleys today?" Sirius asked as he handed Harry a bottle of juice.

Unsure how to respond to a baby bottle or the idea that he would want to spend time with Dudley, he took the bottle and sucked on it. Maybe in this world, the Dursleys weren't that bad. The idea was laughable at best; the Dursleys... not bad? But, he decided he would give them a chance.

When he was done eating, Sirius washed Harry's messy face while Snape cleaned the high chair. Harry noticed that they exchanged loving glances towards each other and stole kisses whenever they could. Was Sirius Harry's other parent? Because his eyes were clearly the same shade of grey as Sirius'. Harry decided to try once again to ask. He came up with the words in his mind, he practised them in his mind and he opened his mouth and...

"Ooh! La, da, Pa..."

Hmm, that didn't go as planned. That sounded nothing like what he planned to say at all. This was frustrating! Why couldn't he talk? WHY? He had only been doing it for the past fourteen years, why couldn't he figure this out now!

"Ooh la la, Harry," Severus repeated back in a cheerful voice but Harry was a bit annoyed at the words coming out wrong and now Severus was mocking him? Perhaps he found his attempted speech cute? Because Severus didn't look like he was laughing at Harry; in fact, the man seemed to be regarding him with undeniable pride and... love? The idea of Severus Snape regarding him with either of those emotions seemed almost unthinkable but here he was.

Its really time to wake up, Harry reminded himself, as though prompting himself would do it. There is no way this was real and if he didn't wake up soon, facing the snarky professor would only be that much harder. It was going to be hard enough to face the man with the recollection of having pissed on him. When he woke up, he'd have to make sure to NEVER look Professor Snape in the eyes again.

Harry felt himself whining and squirming in Sirius' arms; he was tired of being held. The man in return chuckled and kissed the top of Harry's head before setting him on his bum in the living room. Deciding he wanted to explore, Harry made an attempt to stand up and promptly fell down before he could straighten out his legs. During another attempt, Snape walked in and gave a wide, proud smile at Harry.

"Are you trying to stand up? Siri! He's trying to stand!"

This should be easy to do, stand up, put one foot in front of the other and walk around the room; why was this so difficult? His muscles just didn't seem to agree with him doing this. He'd been walking for years but now he couldn't even bring himself to take one simple step. It's not like he was trying anything complex, he just wanted to walk.

When Sirius came into the room, Harry was attempting to pull himself up by the coffee table and as soon as he let go of the coffee table, his legs gave out and he was back on the floor. A cry of frustration left Harry's mouth before he could stop it and a tear fell down his cheek and loud sobs began to flow freely from his mouth. He knew this reaction was stupid but he was just so frustrated and couldn't keep the reaction bottled in.

"Oh, I know! It's not fair! Those mean legs won't let you walk, will they? Let's get ready to go to the park," Sirius said, scooping Harry up and carried him up the stairs towards the nursery. "And papa bought you and your friends a surprise for at the playground."

It wasn't long before Harry found himself bundled in warm clothes and ready to go out the door when something happened that made him realise that peeing himself wasn't the worst thing that could happen. No, he didn't want to do the other thing... But it hurt, his belly hurt and it was already happening! He could feel his cheeks reddening and he could feel the pain in his belly easing up but now he was uncomfortable and smelly.

A sob left him as him bum started to burn. When Sirius entered the room, he immediately knew what had happened and laughed.

"You are consistent, aren't you? Right before we go out the door... Come on, let's change that nasty nappy," Sirius said and Harry stuck up his arms, wanting that stuff off his bottom; he wasn't even going to pretend it wasn't there this time. But he could still feel his cheeks flaming with embarrassment; it was moments like this that he wished he could wake up because the idea of being in a nappy was mortifying.

***LINEBREAK***

Once Harry was changed and clean, Sirius apparated with Harry to a park. Harry's body didn't react badly to the sensation, it just left him squirming a bit as his body was tingly but not even his stomach was upset. Maybe his body was used to it by now, Sirius and Severus probably apparated with him a lot.

"Hello, Harry dear! How are you today?"

How had he not put together in his mind that Mrs Weasley would be here? It should have been a foregone conclusion but his mind didn't seem to put the though together. Mrs Weasley sounded as cheerful and motherly as usual; Harry found himself grinning and kicking his legs at the sight of the woman, not even noticing that drool was running out of his mouth.

"Nah, pa, la," Harry said, knowing it sounded nothing like what he wanted to say but Mrs Weasley seemed thrilled by his answer and immediately took Harry from Sirius's arms and began snuggling him. Harry found himself closing his eyes and leaning into the touch; he couldn't remember ever being held like this and found the feeling to be wonderful. Of course, since he'd waken up, he found himself being carried, hugged and kissed more than he had ever been in real life. It was a nice feeling and Harry hoped the constant feeling of warmth and comfort would remain with him for a bit after he woke up.

"Remus is already here with Dudley and Petunia. Arthur couldn't come because he's home with Percy; poor boy was sick all night. But he'll get some rest while his brothers are at the park."

"Yeah, good idea. I hope he gets well soon," Sirius said with a grin on his face as he watched Mrs Weasley snuggle Harry. "It's a good idea that you don't get sick either."

"Oh, I took a potion as soon as Charlie got sick a few days ago, I'll be fine and so will the baby," Mrs Weasley said, pointing to her round belly as she carried Harry towards the playground where there were several kids playing. Harry recognised all of them but he found himself staring at Petunia who was sitting in the arms of Remus Lupin. At her feet, Harry recognised Ron immediately but Dudley looked completely different. He had light brown hair, hazel eyes and he wasn't obese. Dudley looked like a normal, healthy baby. In fact, Harry wondered if this was Dudley at all.

"Hello, Harry! How's my godson today?" Petunia said as she smiled at Harry. Her expression was different than Harry had ever seen it; she looked cheerful, friendly and her face didn't remind Harry of a horse. She looked happy to see Harry and that left Harry baffled but he recovered quickly since this world seemed to be filled with all kinds of surprises and this was far from the biggest shock of his day.

"Oh, pet, pay," Harry said, not even surprised that his words came out as rambles but he found joy in watching everyone smile when he attempted to communicate with them, so he did it anyway.

"Yes, it's play day, Harry and I hear you have a surprise!" Petunia said, her tone was cheerful and different from what Harry was used to but he found himself kicking and grinning, despite the fact that he didn't know what his surprise was.

"Gather around, kids! Harry has a surprise for everyone!" Sirius said, pulling a bag from around his shoulders.

Four red-haired boys ran towards them with wide smiles on their faces. They were Bill, Charlie, Fred and George. Ron and Dudley didn't seem to notice what was happening because they were too busy playing with the grass.

"Harry brought ice lollies for everyone!"

This announcement brought smiles to the kids' faces, as Sirius began handing them out, finally catching the attention on Ron and Dudley.

Harry was sat down to eat his ice lolly with Ron, Dudley, Fred and George.

"Ba," Ron said, happily holding up his lolly, a wide grin on his face and green juice running down his face. Harry responded by lifting his own lolly and making a wide toothy grin, his chin was now covered in orange lolly juice.

Once the kids were done eating, the older kids all took off for the jungle gym, while the small kids were left to play in the grass with a bunch of balls and other small toys. Harry found himself more fascinated with running his hands through the grass than he was the balls and before he knew it, he had ripped off his shoes and was running his bare feet through the grass and giggling at how much it tickled. Dudley and Ron both followed Harry's lead and soon, all three toddlers were giggling their heads off while running their bare feet in the grass.

"Okay, Harry; it's time to go home. Say bye to your friends," Sirius said, picking up Harry with one arm and his shoes with another. Harry waved to his friends and before he knew it, they were in the living room at home and he was having a difficult time keeping his eyes open. He let out a yawn and began dozing off, even the sudden warmth and wetness in his pants didn't stop him from falling into a deep slumber; no, he was much too tired to care about that.

***LINEBREAK***

"He had a ball, Sev! He rubbed his feet in the grass and laughed the whole time," Sirius said after laying Harry in his crib for a much-needed nap and had gone to find his husband who was in the basement working on a tricky potion.

Severus had stopped working on his potion and was making his way upstairs to start on lunch while Sirius made the table and set up Harry's high chair. Sirius began telling Severus about everything that happened at the park and how much he had enjoyed watching Harry with the other babies. He wondered if they'd get along well once they got old enough to make sense of each other because Severus enjoyed the playdates; they were a great chance for them to get out of the house and it was always nice to see Harry playing with the other kids.

These playdates were the only sure times Severus got to work on his potions and when it was Severus' turn to take Harry, Sirius worked on his writing; he wrote books about how different branches of magic connected and could be used for anything.

"Did Molly say when is a good time to meet again? I'll be taking Harry the next time and I know a great place to meet up; it's a magic playground that alters itself based on the child's size and ability. I think Harry will love it!" Severus said as he magically prepared grilled cheese sandwiches.

"I heard about that one; Cissy takes Draco there sometimes and she likes it. I can ask her about it for you," Sirius said, pulling his husband closer and for a few minutes, they just stared lovingly into each other's eyes and enjoyed the brief peace while their son slept upstairs.

***LINEBREAK***

When Harry woke up from his nap, the first thing he noticed was how wet he was and he could feel himself getting even wetter; it would be nice if he could know when this was about to happen but he still wasn't feeling anything until it was actually happening and by then, it was too late to do anything except wait for it to finish. But considering his real-life problems; this was nothing in the grand scheme of things. This was ultimately something that bugged him.

Harry looked around the room, wanting to get out of his crib; he wasn't sure what he wanted to do when he got out but anything was better than being stuck in here. He was wet, hungry and now he was starting to get worried about why he couldn't hear anything happening around him.

Harry quickly found his patience gone and tears began pouring down his face and whimpers began to escape. Despite logic telling him everything was okay, he couldn't help the nagging feeling that Severus and Sirius had forgotten him like the Dursleys used to do all the time. Before he could stop himself, he found himself crying with louder, shakier sobs. He didn't know how long he'd been awake but it felt like it had been forever and it was too quiet.

"I see you're awake and ready for lunch," Severus said stepping into the room, immediately he picked Harry up and carried him over to the change table and once Harry's nappy was changed, he took the child downstairs for lunch while he wiped away the tears. Harry found himself happy and relieved that they hadn't forgotten him and now felt dumb for thinking that they had. It's not like either man was dumb enough to forget a living, breathing child but the same could be said about the Dursleys and they still managed to forget him whenever they could.

Harry ate quietly, and quickly because he was quite hungry from being outside all morning. When Harry was done eating, he was once again placed in the living room. This time, he didn't waste time trying to stand on two feet, instead, he picked up a book and opened it and found that he was holding a photo album and not a book. After a few seconds staring at the pictures, he found himself restless and suddenly curious about a stuffed rabbit on the floor. He picked it up and was intrigued by how soft the creature was. Though he wasn't sure why; he ran the toy over his mouth and couldn't believe how the sensation tickled his lips. It was so soft and cool against his lips.

It wasn't until the fireplace roared to life that he realised he was softly nibbling the toy with the few teeth he had.

Harry looked over to the fireplace just in time to Albus Dumbledore step into the living room, wearing a smile on his face and a mad twinkle in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry is still very confused about his surroundings and still trying to make sense of everything but it's difficult when you have no idea whats going on and your impulse control and emotional control are non-existent.


	3. Dumbledore Knows All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus is offered a job at Hogwarts and Harry experiences teething for the first time. And finally, Harry gets a much-needed explanation about his presence in this new world.

"Hello, Harry! Do you know where your daddies are?"

Harry wasn't sure how to respond to the question or if the man actually expected Harry to be able to answer or not; he hoped the man wasn't serious because he couldn't formulate the words to tell him where his fathers were. Finally settling on tilting his head and presenting the man with a wide grin instead of attempting to answer with what would no doubt have been gibberish.

However, when he looked the man in the eyes, he felt a familiar sensation; something he'd only ever associated with Severus. Dumbledore was digging through his mind. Harry blew a raspberry at the man, unable to otherwise express his frustration at having his mind violated. To his surprise, Dumbledore nodded and gave him a knowing smile; a look he'd seen before that was clearly telling him something. Once again, Dumbledore knew something he didn't.

"Albus, what brings you here?" Severus asked as he walked casually into the room and scooped Harry into his arms. Despite past memories, Harry found himself leaning into the man's chest and finding the sound of his heart to be nice and soothing. Nestling closer, he watched Severus look at Dumbledore with raised eyebrows; clearly, they hadn't been expecting a visit from the man today.

"Well, Severus, I was stopping by to tell you that Professor Slughorn has decided to retire," Dumbledore said in his usual grand-fatherly tone that Harry found so comforting once upon a time but now it was simply another voice.

"And you couldn't notify me in an owl?" Severus asked.

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps you were interested in taking over his position as potions master and head of Slytherin. I don't expect an answer now; I'll give you to the end of the week to make up your mind, alright? I believe you're the best man for the job. And of course, your husband and son can move into your quarters with you." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling like mad as he tickled under Harry's chin. Harry stared at him with a look that seemed to amuse the headmaster.

"Oh, Severus, I see he got your expressions. I must be off now, I'll be in touch."

Once Dumbledore was gone, Severus looked into Harry's eyes and smiled.

"What do you think? Should daddy work at Hogwarts?"

Harry found the idea of living at Hogwarts excited him and he found his legs kicking and peels of laughter escaping his mouth. It was interesting how easily excited Harry was in this body and found it to be nice not to have to deal with the stress of his past life which he assumed he had ended when he jumped through the veil. Perhaps this was another chance at a new life or maybe this was a coma induced dream but either way, Harry was going to try and enjoy it while it lasted.

"Let's go tell Papa together, okay?" Severus said to Harry, once again causing excitement to well in Harry's belly and once again, his legs were kicking against Severus' belly.

"Oh, Siri, Albus popped by the floo for a second," Severus said, smiling when he saw Sirius standing in the middle of the kitchen wearing what looked like a whole bag of flour. "What happened, Siri?"

Severus walked over and whacked a bit of flour off the man's head, causing Harry to sneeze uncontrollably a few times before busting into the wide grin that always seemed to be wearing lately. It was nice being so carefree and at ease; he hoped when he woke up, some of this feeling stayed with him because he knew he needed to relax a little bit.

"Tried to make cookies, the flour fought back but what did Dumbledore want?" Sirius said, dusting the flour off his shirt and watching as it fell to the floor.

"Ca, lo, jo, beee!" Harry cried, waving his arms to exaggerate the point that Sirius wouldn't have gotten but Harry was too excited to care that they didn't understand a word of what he'd just said.

"Is that so, Harry?" Sirius said with a smile, clearly pretending he could understand Harry. Sirius ran a flower covered hand through his hair, which caused him to sneeze a few more times before fixing the man with what he assumed was the cutest glare he'd ever received because the man simply burst out laughing before turning to face Severus again with curius eyes.

"He offered me a job! He wants me to be the potions master and head of Slytherin house. He says you and Harry can live in my quarters as well," Severus said as he moved Harry onto his other hip.

"That's awesome Sevie! I know how long you've been dreaming about that job. You're going to take it, of course!" Sirius said with a wide grin as Harry let out another small sneeze.

"I plan on it, that means we're going to Hogwarts this fall!" Severus said, tickling Harry before handing him a bottle of apple juice. Harry sipped the apple juice and began drinking the whole thing; how hadn't he realised he was thirsty? It was almost uncanny how they knew his needs before he did. Harry missed knowing when he was thirsty or needed to relieve himself. Almost as soon as that thought passed his mind, he felt another pain in his belly... Here we go again.

Come on, Harry thought to himself, does this really have to happen right now? Harry really didn't want to ruin this moment for Severus and Sirius. As though his body was responding to his silent plea, he felt it happening despite his efforts to stop it.

Once again his face was red and Sirius let out a chuckle as he pointed out Harry's face to Severus. Way to ruin a good moment, he thought to himself as his cheeks flushed even redder.

"Looks like Harry's decided to make you a present," Sirius laughed as Severus turned to face Harry with a small frown.

Harry wanted to tell Severus that he hadn't decided to do this but he was unfortunately preoccupied.

"Well, Harry, that wasn't on the top of my wishlist but I don't think you'd appreciate being stuck with that... gift," Severus said, heading towards the stairs. "Next time, go for a new cauldron."

Once Harry was cleaned up and back downstairs, he found himself sitting with another stuffed toy; it was softer and felt really nice between his gums which had started to throb. From what he could tell, he only had four teeth; two on top and two on the bottom. It was part of why eating was so messy but he couldn't deny that the feeling of food between his gums was an interesting sensation, to say the least.

As he chewed at the toy, he felt bits of slobber running down his chin but he didn't care, because this was making his gums feel much better. When Sirius walked into the room, he glanced at Harry and scooped the boy into his arms. Though Harry noticed the man, he didn't stop chewing the toy because he knew the pain would return and he didn't want that.

"Are those mean teeth hurting you? Papa knows what you need," Sirius said carrying Harry to the kitchen. Once again, Harry was in his high chair but he knew it wasn't supper time, was it? He could have sworn he had eaten not long ago.

Sirius had gone to the freezer and pulled something out and came back. The first thing he did was take Harry's toy out of his mouth. Immediately the pain returned and he felt tears forming and his lips trembling; a reaction that was completely out of his control but he decided was completely justified because of the amount of pain he was experiencing. He was so caught up in the stinging and throbbing from his gums that he didn't notice Sirius set something in the high chair in front of him. After a few seconds, Sirius picked it up and gently placed it in Harry's mouth.

It was cold, sweet and bumpy? When Harry took the mystery object out of his mouth, he found himself staring at a frozen waffle. Harry immediately put the waffle back in his mouth; he noticed how it took the pain away and it tasted good too. He felt himself slobbering but not as much as before.

"Do you like that? Does that feel better?" Sirius asked, watching Harry smile and chew happily at the frozen waffle.

"Ruining his supper already?" Severus asked as he came into the room as Harry finished the last of the waffle.

"His gums were bothering him and Molly gave me some frozen waffles to give him and look how well they're working. Can you believe muggles make waffles, freeze them to eat later... Now, I sound like Arthur!" Sirius said, patting Harry on the head.

Severus turned to Harry, his eyes filled with concern and to Harry's surprise, he stuck his hand in Harry's mouth and began rubbing around his gums. That felt nice, it was helping with the throbbing almost as much as the waffle.

"He's got a tooth about the break through the surface. I'll have a potion for him to take before he goes to bed," Severus said, taking his hand out of Harry's mouth. Once again, Harry's lips began trembling. That had felt really good and now his gums were throbbing again and the waffle was gone! Why was this happening? It hurt! How could he have forgotten that he had gone through such pain when he was a baby? Maybe this wasn't normal.

"I am not a chew toy, Harry," Severus said, causing Harry to jump and bring more tears down his face. His gums hurt! How weren't they bleeding? With how much they were stinging, they had to be bleeding but there was no blood on Severus' hand.

"I'm serious, Harry! I'm not a chew toy!" Severus insisted again but with a little less conviction this time. Harry looked down to his tray with trembling lips and tears starting to pour down his cheeks as he tried to figure what he could do to make this pain stop. It had to stop! This wasn't natural; there's no way it was natural to be in this much pain.

"Oh, fine! Come here!" Severus said with a loud sigh as he pulled Harry from the high chair and bravely stuck his hand in Harry's mouth. He found the painful spot in Harry's mouth and began rubbing it like he'd done before. Harry was so grateful for the pain to stop for a moment that he wrapped his little arms around Severus and gave a small sigh. He was so relaxed that he didn't notice the look of love that the men shared or how much Severus seemed to relax upon seeing Harry content. All Harry was noticing was the distinct lack of pain that he was experiencing.

He wondered what he would have said a few weeks ago if someone had told him he would be snuggled in Severus Snape's arms, happily chewing away at the man's fingers. He probably would have laughed... Or hexed them; it would have been one of the two.

But that wasn't the most surprising part of the day and as Harry thought about everything that had happened today, he found himself quite overwhelmed.

He was Severus Snape and Sirius Black's son, he had no idea if one had taken the others last name or even what his own last name was. Next, he discovered that his magic-hating aunt, who's no longer his aunt, is married to and has a child with a wizard. Harry wondered what came of his parents, and the other staff at Hogwarts. He wondered what staff were working at Hogwarts and what they were doing there.

Suddenly, Harry noticed that Severus had stopped walking and now there was a soothing rocking sensation. Severus had taken a seat in the rocking chair and was now rocking Harry in his arms while letting him chew on his finger. As much as Harry wanted to resist, the whole thing felt nice and soothing. His gums still hurt but not like they did before.

Severus had picked up a wizarding children's book and began reading to Harry. He'd never heard Tales of Beedle the Bard but he found it to be very interest and paid attention to the words as closely as he could but he was having trouble paying attention because after a few seconds, he found himself gazing around the room and before he knew it, his eyelids were growing heavy.

***LINEBREAK***

Harry was now on the train platform, but everything was quiet and white. There were no people, no trains, there was nothing there except for Harry, still in the body of a toddler and he was sitting in the middle of the platform in a white romper.

Glancing around, he wondered what was going on. The last thing he'd remembered was falling asleep in dadd... Severus's arms and now he was in the middle of an empty, deserted train platform. Had they ditched him?

"Beautiful day, isn't it Harry."

Albus Dumbledore approached him with a wide grin on his face but his eyes didn't shine the way they usually did. There was a sadness in his eyes but there was also joy. Harry tilted his head and watched the man's expression. He knew he couldn't ask the man what he wanted because of the problem he was having with words.

"I'm sure you're confused as to why you're here, with Severus Snape and Sirius Snape nee Black," Dumbledore started, watching as Harry simply nodded in return, with the eagerness that could be expected to a question like that.

"When you passed through the veil, ending Harry Potter's life, you did it as Harry Snape's life was about to end; his soul had left his body and your soul replaced his. This world is different from the one you came from; there is more peace and circumstances changed here drastically. I myself was able to redirect Tom Riddle's feud against muggles into a more productive manner and now, he fights against abuse to magic children at the hands of muggle families through education, counselling and finally, removing the child should all else fail."

"Oh?" Was the only sound Harry knew he could make that would express his confusion.

"Yes, I myself passed from our past world a year after you and found myself in the body of my six-year-old self and let me tell you, you keep your memories but you have the physical and emotional maturity of your body; as I'm sure you've noticed by now," Dumbledore said with a chuckle as he watched Harry lose focus for a brief second.

"Ah!"

"Yes, I was lucky enough to return to a time where I could actually speak but I'm going to inform you of the basic bits you will need now. You are the biologic son of Severus and Sirius Snape. Your full name is Harry Orion Snape, your godparents are Petunia and Remus Lupin. You spend a lot of time with the Lupins, the Malfoys and the Weasleys. Go ahead and get comfortable because you'll be in this body until you pass on. You are, like me, an old soul who passes between dimensions when your body dies and lives several versions of their life. I myself have been through six already, one more amusing than the next," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

"Wa!" Harry demanded, pointed to the nappy, in an attempt to find out why he had no control over those bodily functions. It was surprisingly hard to express annoyance when it seemed to pass as soon as he decided that he wanted to express it. Luckily, Dumbledore seemed to know what Harry was trying to communicate and gave a small chuckle; earning himself one of Harry's cute baby glares.

"Harry, my boy, those muscles takes time to develop! I myself was put in an infant version of myself before; maybe consider yourself lucky you have mobility. Try having all your life memories and only be able to lie on your back and drool. And don't be surprised if your sexuality fluctuates between lives. I myself have been gay, straight and bi," Dumbledore said, bringing a blush to Harry's face. He didn't know much about sexuality, just that he didn't want to hear about it from Dumbledore. "Alright, our time is up and it's time for you to go back. Your parents are about to wake you up. Be safe and I'm sure I'll see you around the castle very soon. Remember not to judge things based on your past life. Things are different here."

Before Harry knew it, the train station began to fade and before Harry knew it, he was feeling someone tickling under his chin. Opening his eyes, he found he was still in Severus' arms and he felt safe and warm.

"Da?" Harry asked, knowing daddy would be too much for him right now to try and say. Harry found himself beaming as pride and excitement filled Severus's eyes.

"Yes, Harry?" Severus said, grinning wider as he spoke; the expression wasn't something Harry was used to seeing on the man but it was nice and he found himself wondering why he didn't do it more often.

"Ah," Harry said, wrapping his arms around the man and hugging him as a way of thanking him for soothing his gums. He was clearly going to be here for a while and he felt glad that these men didn't have to mourn the loss of their son as long as he was there. This was something he knew he could get used to.

"I love you, too, Harry," Severus said returning the hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions on what you want to see, let me know because I love hearing from you and I love taking my reader's ideas into consideration.


	4. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry celebrates his birthday with his family and friends.

A couple days had now passed and Harry still wasn't thrilled about randomly wetting himself throughout the day and he didn't even want to think about the other thing that barely gave him enough notice to say anything before it would happen.

Harry was now in the graveyard with Cedric again but this wasn't as confusing as the fact that he was in his older body again. But when Cedric died, and Harry screamed, he found that he wasn't in the graveyard but his crib; he was safe but he couldn't stop screaming and crying and now he had wet himself too. If it wasn't bad enough that he was now shaken and scared, he was now wet and cold.

"Oh, Harry, it's okay!"

The voice came out of seemingly nowhere as Sirius ran into the room and picked him up and cradled him to his chest. Still scared and shaky, Harry sobs were reduced to whimpers as he grabbed bits of the man's shirt with his tiny fists. Simply being in his arms helped comfort Harry and the fact that he didn't seem upset to have been awakened made him feel that much better.

"It's okay, Papa's here," Sirius murmured as he rocked Harry back and forth. "Did you have a bad dream, Harry?"

Harry nodded and snuggled closer to Sirius who continued rocking Harry while trying to discretely check Harry's nappy.

"I think you need a new nappy before we put you back to bed, don't you?" Sirius said carrying Harry over to the change table. Once again, the cold chill of his nappy being removed hit him and like the past few mornings, the pee came out without warning. But unlike when Severus changed his nappy in the morning, Sirius hadn't been prepared and found himself showered with his son's pee.

"Are you done yet?" Sirius asked, trying to move aside without removing his hand from Harry's belly. Harry took in Sirius' shocked expression before giggling at the sight. He knew he wouldn't have laughed at that before but it was funny now and he knew that Sirius wasn't actually mad. At the very most, the man was irritated but probably not because Harry could see that he was holding back a smirk.

In response, his legs began pumping, making it harder for Sirius to close the nappy but the peels of laughter seemed to make up for it.

"Yes, well, I'm glad you're amused," Sirius said as he put a fresh nappy and pyjamas on Harry before carrying Harry over to the rocking chair. He sat down and began rocking him and softly humming. This put Harry's mind completely at ease as he snuggled into Sirius' chest and let sleep consume him once again.

***LINEBREAK***

The next morning when Harry woke up, both Sirius and Severus standing by his wardrobe silently trying to pick out an outfit for him. This was strange because usually they just put a onesie and pants on him but they were pulling out things like overalls and other complicated outfits with buttons and snaps. But today, they seemed greatly concerned about his outfit.

"Da?" Harry asked, pulling himself to his feet with the bars of the crib. It had been a great effort and he knew if he let go, he'd be on his bum again but he was still very proud of his accomplishment.

"Good morning, Harry!" Severus said smiling as he picked Harry up and twirled him around the room. Something was going on, Severus was uncharacteristically happy this morning. "Are you ready for some breakfast?"

In response, Harry rubbed his belly and smiled. He was very hungry and couldn't wait to eat his dry cereal and drink his bottle.

However, when Severus took him downstairs, there was still a bottle waiting for Harry but there were pancakes instead of cereal. Yes, something was going on but Harry would probably find out later what it was. For now, his only concern was delivering those yummy looking pancakes to his hungry stomach. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that they were chocolate chip pancakes; even better! And in his bottle was fresh, cold chocolate milk! This was unusual because they were usually so careful about avoiding junk food and this one meal was more sugar than Harry had eater since he first arrived here; not that he was complaining.

As Harry ate, Severus dashed upstairs for a moment before returning with Sirius, both holding an outfit in their hands. Severus held a pair of emerald green overalls with a gold t-shirt and Sirius held maroon overalls with a silver t-shirt.

"Alright, Harry, which outfit do you want to wear?" Severus asked Harry as both outfits were held out for him to examine. This was clearly a Slytherin vs Gryffindor thing but he wasn't sure which one he wanted to wear and why they were making such a big deal about what he wore today. Were they going to Hogwarts today? But Severus hadn't told Dumbledore yes or no yet, had he? It was almost like they were trying to predict whether or not he was going to be a Gryffindor or a Slytherin.

"Da?" Harry asked, trying to figure out why they were acting so funny but the men clearly mistook that for Harry deciding he was going to wear green because a smug look came over Severus' face as he smiled at his husband.

"Okay, you win! I surrender," Sirius said as he pecked Severus on the lip before leaving the room in mock frustration.

"Oh?" Harry asked, pointing to the outfit in Severus' hand, hoping the man would explain what it was for but Severus didn't understand what Harry was asking.

"That's green! Can you say 'green'?"

Decided to try and humour him, he did make an attempt but it came out as 'gee' instead.

Severus seemed happy enough with the effort and kissed the top of Harry's head before leaving Harry to his pancakes and chocolate milk.

Soon, Harry forgot what he'd been focusing on and began focusing on his pancakes. Once they were gone, Sirius put Harry in the bathtub and scrubbed him down before putting him in his green and gold outfit and combing his hair.

Sirius set Harry down in his playpen which was in the kitchen today and not the living room like it usually was. Harry kept himself busy by playing with one of the magic toys; he was fascinated by how it would hide around the playpen for him to find. He was so focused on playing with it, that he didn't notice that he was no longer alone until Petunia scooped him from out of the playpen and gave him a big hug.

"Happy Birthday, Harry! Are you one-year-old?"

Oh! It was his birthday! That's what was going on Harry felt dumb for not realising his birthday until he remembered that he hadn't been aware of what date it was or even if he still had the same birthday. But it was still strange having Petunia Dursley... No! She was Petunia Lupin... Either way, it was strange to see her excited for his birthday.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, smiling as his legs began kicking excitedly and quickly as his mind began rushing. "Ba!"

Harry proudly showed Petunia the toy he'd just finished finding before he forgot to show her later.

"Where's Remus?" Sirius asked, just as the door burst open and Remus made his way into the kitchen with Dudley on his hip and a large present in his hand. Dudley and Remus looked a lot alike, so much that it was impossible to deny that he was Remus' son.

"Padfoot!"

"Moony!" The two men exchanged a quick hug before Remus set Dudley on the floor with a small bear. Dudley grabbed the bear and snuggled it to his chest before pointing up to Harry and grinning.

"Oh, oh," Dudley said, grinning as his own feet kicked back and forth. It was nice seeing Dudley in such a pleasant mood and not acting like a spoiled brat like Harry was used to but Petunia didn't act like she was trying to cater to everyone of Dudley's wishes and whims and instead appeared to be trying to do a good job at parenting him.

"Boo?" Dudley asked suddenly, making Petunia smile and pat his head.

"We'll read a book when we get home, Dudley," Petunia said, setting Harry down beside Dudley. Expecting a tantrum from Dudley about being told no, he found himself surprised when the child didn't react at all, instead showed him his bear with a grin on his face. "He's going to be a Ravenclaw just like his mum, won't you Dudley?"

Wait, what? Was she a witch? Obviously, she was if she was a Ravenclaw. Somehow this revelation seemed more mind-boggling than everything he'd learnt about this world, and this included Sirius and Snape being together. But his magic-hating aunt having magic was something he couldn't believe.

"Oh!" Showing Dudley his toy seemed like the best response and he was rewarded with a wide grin from Dudley. Seeing the other baby grin made Harry's belly swell with excitement and soon his legs were kicking and he was giggling.

"Now, tell mummy that you are a Gryffindor, like your daddy," Remus said to Dudley who began giggling and kicking his legs.

"That's right, Dudley. Daddy is being silly," Petunia said, with a wide smile on her face. "You wait and see; both my son and my godson will be Ravenclaws."

"I'm afraid that you are wrong; they will be in Gryffindor," Remus said and grinned when Sirius nodded along with him.

"Actually, you're both wrong," Severus said as he walked into the room with a wide smirk on his face. "These boys are both Slytherins."

Then, to add to their excitement, Severus dumped some magic blocks in front of them. The blocks, when put together would fuse together but would separate when you pulled them apart. Some made noises and some talked; this brought Harry's excitement levels through the roof and he found himself letting out squeals of joy while they completely ignored the debate about which Hogwarts house they were going to wind up in.

After a few minutes, another knock on the door occurred just as Harry heard the floo in the living room go off but a second later, one of the blocks made a loud popping sound that caught Harry's attention and he instantly forgot that there was someone waiting at the door and the floo.

Sirius and Severus had left to welcome more visitors while Petunia and Remus watched Harry and Dudley play. Harry was enjoying how simple everything was now; he woke up, wandered around, exploring things that caught his curiosity and didn't worry about schedules, chores, or even homework. There were things Harry missed from his past life but he loved these peaceful and worry-free moments, where his biggest concern was getting a fresh nappy after he pooped. It was nice to know that even when he was older, he wouldn't be caught in the middle of a war like the last time.

"Harry, look who's here! It's cousin Cissy and cousin Draco!" Sirius announced, leading the blonde woman and her even blonder son into the room. Draco was grinning and pointing to Harry and Dudley, his mother smiled and set Draco down to play with the blocks as well.

Just a few seconds later, several footsteps came into the kitchen; the entire Weasley family was there now, including Mrs Weasley whose stomach greatly resembled a balloon.

Both Cissy and the Weasleys were carrying presents, which had been set on the table with the rest of the presents.

"Are we ready to take the Portkey to the park and meet everyone else?" Severus announced, holding up a rope which Harry assumed was the Portkey. The older people grabbed either an armful of presents, a toddler or a child's hand before the Portkey was activated.

The sensation had little effect on anyone except boy Dudley and Petunia who both looked pale but even they seemed fine.

They were at the same spot they had been before, telling Harry that this was their regular spot. The playground had been enchanted to keep the small children safe; this included bits that would catch falling children. Waiting at the park was Neville Longbottom and his mum, Peter Pettigrew and a child who was probably his son, and finally Blaise Zabini and his mum.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!"

"OH!" Harry exclaimed, his arms and legs pumping back and forth against Severus, who was chuckling lightly as he set him down.

"Play!" Harry looked over to see one of the Weasley twins cried as Dudley and Harry began quickly crawling towards the playground. Fred, George and Ron were running towards the playground, Ron a little more clumsily than his brothers but was still running. Harry felt a little pang of envy and tried to pull himself to his feet but found himself toppling onto his bum again.

"Harry has been trying to walk for a few days now and I think he's going to take his first step soon," Severus proudly said as he patted Harry's head and went to sit down with the adults. But Harry wanted to walk right now and keep up with the Ron, Fred, George and even Percy.

"Want help?"

Harry looked up to find Bill Weasley standing by Harry, grinning as he took Harry's hands and pulled him into standing position and guided Harry through the motions of walking. The feeling of being on his feet and walking again after so much time was the best feeling ever. He let out whoops of joy and called for his 'da' and 'pa' to look at him. Ron, Fred and George were running around the outside of the playground, while Neville, Peter's kid and Blaise sat in the grass and threw bits of grass everywhere. Draco was crawling around inside the playground equipment, while Charlie taught Percy how to use the monkey bars.

After a little while, Severus and Sirius herded all the kids towards the picnic tables and handed out hot dogs to everyone. All the toddlers had theirs cut into pieces and the older kids had plain hot dogs in a bun. Once the kids were done eating, Harry blew out the candles on the cake and had their cake. Harry has handed a large piece of cake but nothing to eat it with. Finally, he grabbed a handful and shoved it in his mouth, bits of cake falling everywhere while icing smeared around his mouth.

After cake, Harry opened presents but quickly learned that his little hands couldn't grip as well as his big hands and it took a while for one present to be open. He was actually relieved when Sirius began helping him to open the presents.

He had received toys, books, a jumper, and a little baby snitch designed to go no higher than two feet off the ground. By the end of the day, Harry had done so much running around that he had at one point, fallen asleep in the middle of the park.

***LINEBREAK***

Sirius and Severus had just arrived home from Harry's birthday party and the child was asleep in Severus' arms. Quickly Severus changed Harry's nappy and laid the sleeping child in his crib before tiptoeing out of the room.

"He really is growing up," Severus said, as he took the concealment charm off the camera and spelled the photos out. He watched the photos of Harry as his son played and smiled proudly as Bill helped him walk around the playground. His favourite picture was the one with all the children eating cake and smiling. None of the children looked posed but completely natural as they had no idea a camera was even present.

"I know! Soon, he'll be going off to Hogwarts, getting a job and having kids!" Sirius said.

"Yes, well let's work on getting him potty trained before he goes off to Hogwarts," Severus said with a smile.

"But it passes quickly! Molly said it seemed like yesterday that Bill was born and now he's going to be going to his first year at Hogwarts," Sirius said, remembering how Molly had just recently wished that her older son had waited a couple months to be born so she could have another year before he went to Hogwarts. Billy Weasley wasn't turning eleven in November but because his birthday fell before the 31st of December, he was allowed to attend Hogwarts that year.

While Harry napped, Sirius and Severus looked at the photos and smiled, thinking back to the day Harry was born and how much he'd grown since then. They were so lucky to have such a happy, healthy and smart child.

Harry seemed to be growing more every day and now, he was trying to walk and chase the older kids around. He seemed to be becoming his own little person.

"He has so much positive energy and though I want him to stay little forever, I also can't wait to see what he's going to do with that once he's older. I wonder what kind of person he will become. Will he like potions or Quidditch? Will he be a reader or a leader?" Severus said as they watched a photo with Harry and Bill playing together.

***LINEBREAK***

He was in his crib again; that meant the party had ended while Harry slept. He missed having the energy to stay up for an entire day without taking a nap but he had to admit that napping felt really good.

"Da! Pa!" Harry called, already getting tired of being confined and ready to crawl around for a little while longer. Maybe he would try and walk again but at this rate, he would settle for just standing up without holding anything.

"Well, hello sleepy head. How did you sleep? Did you have a nice nap?" Sirius asked.

Harry decided to be funny because he knew it wouldn't come out clearly anyway.

"No!" Hey, that came out normal! He actually said it! "No, no, no, no!"

Harry was so excited that he finally said a word, that he didn't notice the look of absolute pride on Sirius' face until he called for Severus. The amount of urgency in the call was probably what brought Severus into the room so quickly because there was panic clear on his face until he saw Sirius smiling, his face fell with relief and he smiled at Harry.

"I thought something was wrong. What's going on?"

"NO!" Harry cried.

"No?" Severus asked as he proudly picked Harry up. "No, what?"

"No! Le, ma, NO!"

The other words seemed to be a problem but now, Harry could actually say a word to them and watching their faces light up made Harry's day!

"And what are you going to do about it?" Severus asked, tickling Harry and smiling as he laughed until tears ran down his face. "Huh?"

"No!" Harry laughed, glad that for once he had a real family and decided to fully enjoy whatever life brought him besides, if Dumbledore was right, he was going to have a really long time to appreciate.


	5. The Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally figuring out how to walk, Harry hears Sirius say a bad word, he decides to share it with the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains innocent and slightly comedic use of the 'F' word.

A few days passed since Harry's birthday and Harry was making good use of his new word; perhaps he was overusing it but he was still very proud of his expanded vocabulary and had made attempts at other words as well. It was all Harry could say and he was very proud of this.

Harry had started copying the words people around him were saying... or attempting to do so, it usually came out as a series of sounds and gurgles. This process left Harry a bit frustrated but he was slowly getting over it because he knew he would get the motions sooner or later.

That day, Harry was sitting in the living room watching Sirius tidy the living room before Severus came back from Diagon Alley. Another thing Harry found amusing to do was imitate others actions just to watch them laugh. There wasn't much he could do in the way of entertainment; he couldn't walk, talk or do most of the things he used to do for fun. Something told him not even Sirius would be down with Harry pulling some of the quidditch stunts he had been pulling when he was at Hogwarts.

As much as he liked the peace and ease of this life, he was limited in what he could do and that was a bit... dull sometimes but for the most part, he found that he was quite easily amused. The other day he found himself fixated by a ball of hair on the bathroom floor and somehow wound up with it in his mouth.

"Harry! Come to Papa!" Sirius suddenly called, bringing Harry out of his current thoughts. Harry crawled towards Sirius with an earnest expression on his face. Sirius smiled and scooped Harry into his arms before setting him onto his feet. Harry struggled to remain upright but smiled proudly when he did. But the moment gt ruined when Harry bent his knee and toppled to the ground.

"Good job, Harry! Let's try again," Sirius said lifting Harry to his feet again but this time he stepped away from him.

"Come to Papa!"

Ah! He wants him to walk! Harry lifted his foot and proceeded to fall onto his bum. Sirius, being as patient as he was, once again lifted Harry to his feet and stepped back a few feet and once again held out his hands for Harry to walk into.

Just as Harry was about to make another, probably failed attempt, a loud bang from behind startled him and before he knew it, he was running into Sirius' arms without thinking about it.

"Harry! You did it!" Sirius cried hugging the sobbing, shaking toddler to his chest. Harry was too startled to even care that he'd just walked. His heart was racing too much to care that he was sobbing over something so little. 

"Oh, Harry! I'm sorry I scared you!" Severus said taking Harry from Sirius' arms and hugging him close until he was no longer upset and back to his cheerful self. When he was smiling and happy again, Severus clapped his hands together and began walking towards the kitchen. "First steps! I'm going to make a pensive right now! Let's go record this!"

Harry beamed proudly and began kicking his legs in glee; he had finally walked, after spending so much time trying to get his foot, he had finally done it! He knew it wasn't the biggest thing he'd ever accomplished but right now, the simple process of taking those first steps left him feeling very proud of himself and made him realise that he was going to grow up loved and cared for. When he succeeded, he wasn't going to be judged and criticised. As he was hugged by his parents, he began to realise how lucky he was to get to start over again. It was moments like this that made it worth it.

"Da?" Harry asked as Severus set Harry onto the floor before dashing out of the room with a wide grin on his face.

"Pa?" Harry asked as he glanced up to see Sirius wiping tears of joy and pride from his cheeks. Quickly, Harry pulled himself to his feet by the man's pant legs and found himself giggling out of exhilaration and excitement. Letting go, Harry took a few steps across the room before falling onto his bum. Bringing himself to his feet again, he darted clumsily across the room before turning around to make sure Sirius was watching. Sure enough, he was watching with a look of pride and love on his face.

"Pa!" Harry cried happily; the look of joy on Sirius' face was enough to delight and thrill Harry. Making his way clumsily towards Sirius, he found himself getting more and more excited which lead to him falling a bit more but he was still walking! Before Harry knew it, he was laughing so hard that he could barely bring himself to his feet anymore, let alone walk around the room.

By the end of the night, the buzz and joy of those first steps still hadn't worn off and the only reason he was able to fall asleep at all was that Sirius had rocked him until he had finally fallen asleep. He couldn't believe how relaxing it was to lie in someone's arms and have them rock him until he fell asleep.

When Harry woke up in the morning, he was still smiling about the day before. He was in such a good mood that he didn't even care about the wet nappy he was wearing.

"Pa! Da!" Harry cried, already tired of being in this crib. A few moments later, he heard the bedroom door open and soon Severus was lifting Harry out of his crib and giving him a morning snuggle.

"Daddy is going to get our things for Hogwarts, Harry! We'll be going to Hogwarts in two weeks. Isn't that exciting, Harry?" Severus asked Harry as he put him into a clean outfit. Unsure how to respond, the toddler simply kicked his legs and let out a giggle.

"Papa is going give you breakfast while I'm gone and then I'm going to take you to the park," Severus said, standing Harry on the floor.

When Severus left, Harry was left with Sirius who was still half asleep. After Sirius pour him some cereal, he made his way to the table but stubbed his toe against the table leg.

"Fuck! Ouch!" Sirius cried, bending down to rub his toe. Harry decided that the word wouldn't come out clear, so he decided to try and copy the word.

"Fuck! Oh!" Harry cried, immediately gaining Sirius' attention. Despite knowing this word was bad, Harry couldn't ignore the joyful buzz that came when he said that word; any words actually. Harry giggled at the thrill of learning to say a new word and at the look on Sirius' face when he registered what Harry had just shouted.

Sirius' face was priceless; he looked over to Harry, his face filled with shock at hearing the word being squealed with such delight.

"Harry," Sirius said, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "That's a naughty word."

"No?" Harry asked, wishing he could say more than those few words but that answer seemed to satisfy Sirius.

"That's right, no!" Sirius said, still sounding surprised. Fortunately for Sirius, Harry got so distracted by his food that he didn't think to say any words, especially that one.

After breakfast, Harry was put in a playpen in Sirius and Severus' bedroom while Sirius got dressed. Harry was content to chew on the ear of his stuffed rabbit while Sirius rushed around the bedroom. His gums were hurting a bit and the soft rabbit ear seemed to help with the pain. Harry was so content, that he didn't notice Severus entering the room until he was being lifted from out of the playpen.

"Are you ready to go, Harry?" Severus asked, watching as Harry nodded and wrapped his arms around his neck. With a quick pop, they were gone.

Upon arriving at the park, belly pains told Harry that they should have waited a few minutes before leaving but it was too late.

Severus walked to the playground where Mrs Weasley and Petunia were sitting with Dudley and Ron at their feet while the older kids were attempting to climb as high on the jungle gyms as they could. The play equipment was guiding Fred and George; it was clear that even if they lost their grip, that the equipment wouldn't let them fall.

"Oh, Harry!" Severus cried as he sat down; a look of disbelief on his face.

"They can be unpredictable, can't they?" Mrs Weasley said with a laugh. "I'll show you how to take care of this."

With those words, Mrs Weasley took Harry into her arms and cast a spell that made them disappear from sight and soon enough, Harry was clean and fresh once again. When Mrs Weasley set Harry on the ground, he knew this was his moment to see them all make funny shocked faces. After all, this was going to be one of the rare moments that he would be able to get away with doing this without getting in trouble.

Harry stood up and walked to the leg of the bench and gave it a small kick; he then fell onto his bum and grabbed his foot. It was obvious he wasn't hurt because he was unable to wipe the large grin off his face but Severus still glanced down with a worried expression on his face. Molly simply seemed amused but she had had enough children to know the difference between pain and imitation.

"Fuck! Oh!" He cried out with a giggle as he held his foot like he's seen Sirius do. The reactions were immediate; Bill, Charlie and Percy froze and stared at Harry in disbelief and the adults had all stopped talking to look at Harry with wide eyes.

"Fuck!" Harry cried happily, knowing this was immature but he was too happy to care. A few seconds later the same word was heard being squealed from the playground; it appeared that Fred and George liked the sound of the word as well.

Within a few seconds, Percy was running to the picnic table.

"Mummy, Harry, Fred and George are saying a naughty word!" Percy informed Mrs Weasley. "They said 'fuck'!"

"I know, I'll be over to speak with them in a few seconds. But Percy, that doesn't mean you get to say it!"

"I'm so sorry, Molly, Petunia! I don't know where that came from!" Severus said nervously, as he quickly scooped Harry into his arms.

"Now, Severus! This is no big deal! They all go through this phase. He probably doesn't even understand what he's saying," Molly said as she once again took Harry from the man's arms. "Harry... No! That isn't a nice word!"

Soon enough Harry was in the grass again and playing with a green, stuffed snitch. It flew a few feet in the air and swooped around. Every once in a while when Harry lost focus, it would swoop down and bump into him before flying around again. The thrill of actually being able to walk on two feet at the park was enough to make him forget his fascination with the 'F' word.

Harry still had his memories from his past but his ability to focus on tasks for long periods of time wasn't what it used to be and his reasoning skills were nonexistent. But he supposed this was normal based on what Dumbledore had said. He still missed being able to make good choices and not based on what was amusing. Soon, this line of thinking died and he was back to chewing on a toy.

When Severus and Harry got home again, Harry was fed lunch and put down for a nap. It was around suppertime when Sirius came home and Severus had dinner on the table. As they were eating, Sirius and Severus talked while Harry tried to eat as neatly as he could; a task which would be easier if he had better control of his hands but not as bad as it could have been.

"Siri," Severus began with a smirk on his face. "Harry kicked the park bench today and you won't believe what he shouted after he did this!"

Sirius looked over to Harry and back to Severus; somehow he already knew what his son had shouted... Tonight was going to be a dog house kind of night.


	6. Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny is born and Harry and his family move to Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: I have the Weasleys birthdays and I'm going to write their ages as based on 1 September 1981
> 
> Bill: 29 November 1970... 10 Years 9 Months
> 
> Charlie: 12 December 1972... 8 Years 8 Months
> 
> Percy: 22 August 1976... 5 Years 0 Months
> 
> Fred/George: 1 April 1978... 3 Years 5 Months
> 
> Ron: 1 March 1980... 1 Year 6 Months
> 
> Ginny: 11 August 1981... 20 Days

Harry had just finished eating breakfast and was sitting in the living room playing with a set of magic blocks when the fire call came through.

"Sirius! Severus!"

Not expecting Arthur Weasley's voice to be so loud and shrill, Harry was unable to fight his startled cries as he looked around the room in a state of panic for someone to offer him comfort. Thankfully Sirius scooped him into his arms before rushing to the fireplace. Severus wasn't much further behind but he seemed worried but upon seeing the look of excitement on his friends face, the worry in his eyes melted away.

"I have a daughter! First girl born into the Weasley line for several generations! He name is Ginerva Molly Weasley!" Arther said in a rush. "She was born two hours ago and Molly is doing fine!"

"Harry, did you hear that? Molly had her baby," Sirius said as he tickled Harry's belly.

"Bee?" Harry asked, knowing they would understand what he was saying.

"Congratulations, Arthur," Severus said, his face filled with sincere joy. "Do you want me to come through with the healing potions and immunity potions for Ginerva?"

"Could you? I know it's a lot to ask, especially so early in the morning..."

"Open your floo, I'll be coming through in a few minutes," Severus said before leaving the room.

"I'm going to say congratulations myself but then I have to so; Harry needs a new nappy," Sirius said, with a grimace on his face which only caused Harry to burst into laughter.

For the next couple weeks, things went back to normal; the main difference was Arthur Weasley bringing the kids to playdates instead of Molly. Harry had been brought to the burrow a few times to meet baby Ginny but she was usually asleep or fussing, so there wasn't much he could do to interact with her. For obvious reasons, he wasn't allowed to hold her, feed her or really get too close without people watching his every single move.

In fact, nothing major happened until he went down for a nap in his room and found himself waking up in an unfamiliar room. This was his crib but everything else was different; the room was shaped different, there weren't any toys anywhere and there were no colours on the wall. He had fallen asleep in his room and now he was... he had no idea where he was and he didn't like this one bit. Where were Sirius and Severus? Once again, Harry found himself crying; he couldn't help it, he was confused, nervous and trapped. This was the only way he could react.

"Harry? What's the matter? You're okay," Sirius said in a soft voice as he lifted Harry out of the crib and snuggled him to his chest. After a few seconds, Harry calmed down and snuggled closer to Sirius who chuckled and walked out the room to a living room. He felt like this place should be familiar but he couldn't put his thumb on what this place was.

"I don't think Harry liked waking up alone in his new room," Sirius told Severus who looked up from the book he was reading before standing up. New room? Were they at Hogwarts already? But they hadn't said anything about coming yet.

"I think he'll like it once we put his wallpaper and toys back into the room; isn't that right Harry? You don't like the bland, empty room?" Severus asked as he tickled Harry's belly causing him to giggle and squirm. "Let's eat."

Harry sat in his high chair and ate his crackers and cheese while Sirius and Severus unpacked a few boxes. He was so focused on what they were doing that he barely noticed his bowl being knocked closer and closer to the edge of the high chair until it was falling over the edge with a small little tap.

"Uh oh," Harry said, giggling as the crackers spilt out; he was finding this more amusing than he probably should.

"Uh oh indeed, young man," Severus said in a stern voice but when Harry looked up at the man, he found that he was grinning; he wasn't angry.

When Harry finished eating, Severus showed Harry and Sirius the potions lab, which had been equipped with a secure playpen for the occasions that Harry might be present during class time. Severus was very excited to share this moment with his husband and child.

Harry tried to listen but despite having been in this room so many times in his past life, he found himself easily distracted by almost everything that caught his eyes. He found himself wondering how things would feel in his mouth and what others were used for at all. For the most part, he didn't hear a word of what Severus had said but he knew he wouldn't be tested on what he'd heard, so it wasn't that big a deal.

"What do you think, Harry?" Severus asked Harry with a wide smirk on his face.

"Ah!" Harry announced pointing to a shelf with different ingredients and dishes. It was strange seeing so few ingredients on the shelf but classes hadn't begun yet, so that was probably why they were still empty. But it was strange being in this room with Severus Snape not glaring at him and yelling at him.

"Potion!" Harry declared pointing to one of the phials. He'd been practising speaking and was finding it easier to figure out basic words; it wasn't until he got excited and attempted whole phrases that his speech would jumble and lose meaning.

Severus smiled proudly at Harry who simply beamed back, drool once again falling freely down his chin and onto his shirt.

After a while, they were back in Severus' new quarters; Harry was on the floor playing with Sirius in his animagus form while Severus prepared supper.

Harry found that from his current size, playing with Padfoot was a much more thrilling experience and therefore lead to more laughter, giggles and even a few minor frights but it was all fun. As Padfoot sniffed Harry, would burst into giggles; his cold nose tickled his belly. Padfoot would bark and Harry would once again burst into laughter.

When Harry was put in his crib that night, he couldn't deny that there was a major feeling of nostalgia but there wasn't the same sense of complete relief he used to associate with Hogwarts. Perhaps this was because back then, he was escaping the abuse of the Dursleys and entering the magic world of Hogwarts. Here, he was loved and cared for at home and coming to Hogwarts was no longer a much-needed escape from abuse and neglect.

Of course, this was still his first night sleeping in the dungeons and he was fascinated by seeing the bottom of the lake from his bedroom window. He watched the fish swimming around until he finally fell asleep.

In the morning when Harry woke up, he noticed that the toys from his old room were back around the room and the walls were coloured; he wondered how they had managed to get all this done while he slept until he remembered they had magic and had probably used a few spells to get this done while he slept.

"Da! Pa!" Harry called out, already feeling cramped inside this crib. He found that since he figured out how to walk again that he didn't like sitting still for long periods of time and found that he got impatient really easy. He also got distracted very easily and had a tougher time controlling his temper, which meant his actions were more emotional than logical. What he knew in his mind was different from how he would actually react. He often found himself acting without thinking.

"Good morning, Harry," Severus said, picking Harry up from his crib and immediately changed and dressed him.

"Goo Mor'ing," Harry said and watched as Severus' eyes went wide with pride, love and joy.

"That's right, good morning," Severus said, hugging Harry close and carrying him to the bedroom he shared with Sirius.

Sirius was sitting on the edge of the bed putting socks on when they entered the room. Upon seeing Severus' face, he smiled and turned his attention to Harry who was grinning; it was another chance to make Sirius smile.

"Goo Mor'ing!" Harry squealed, his hands clapping cheerfully as he watched Sirius' eyes light up and before he knew it, he was in Sirius' arms and the hugs he received made the effort completely worth it.

"We're going to take a walk around the castle today and I'm going to show you my favourite places," Sirius told Harry one he was dressed and sitting in the high chair waiting for his breakfast. "Daddy has gone to get his lab ready but we'll meet him at lunchtime. Does that sound good?"

After breakfast, Sirius took Harry out into that hallway outside Severus's quarters and he immediately recognised the hallway. He remembered running through these halls with Ron and Hermione, going to class and learning magic; everything was different now but the knowledge that he wasn't going to have so much responsibility on him this time made it all worthwhile.

Sirius walked with Harry towards the Transfiguration classroom, where they found Professor McGonagall sitting in the classroom with a large stack of books in front of her.

"Good morning, Professor," Sirius said, as the stern witch glanced up and a large smile appeared on her face; who would have known she had a weakness for babies, he thought to himself as she made faces and asked Harry how he liked Hogwarts so far. Despite the fact that seeing those expressions on her face should have been unnerving, he found himself laughing and giggling; especially when she transfigured Sirius's hair into a bright yellow and purple wig.

Professor McGonagall was tickling Harry's bell when someone else came into the room and said something that he missed because he was giggling so hard but Sirius's expression immediately filled with joy.

"Hello, Professor," Sirius said in a taunting tone, as he turned away from Professor McGonagall to face a man that Harry had only ever heard stories about but wished he could meet in person; James Potter, the man who was no longer his father but still exciting to see.

"Hello, Teacher's Pet!" James replied back with a smirk as he patted Sirius's back.

"Are you ready to start teaching History of Magic? You're going to have to work hard to get students interested because that course is known for being boring," Sirius said, watching as James's grin only grew wider. "Oh, I have a few ideas, Padfoot but you're going to have to wait and see. Lily's excited too. She and Petunia have been fire calling all week to discuss what Lily should show on her first class teaching. I personally think she should bring in one of those felly tones she talks about."

"You mean telephone?" Sirius asked with a laugh. "I can see why you just barely passed muggle studies, Prongs."

"Oh, bite me," James said, as he laughed lightly. "If I recall, you didn't do much better than me. I believe you wrote an essay about US President Adolf Hitler!"

"It was your prank textbook," Sirius responded.

This conversation went back and forth for a while and Harry was getting bored as the novelty of meeting James Potter had worn off and he wanted to walk around. How long had they been standing there talking? It had to have been at LEAST an hour.

"Down!" Harry demanded as he started to squirm; maybe Sirius would release him if he saw how badly he wanted to get down. Surely he could understand it wasn't cool to make Harry sit still for this long.

"Just a minute," Sirius said, causing tears to spring in Harry's eyes. A minute never actually meant a minute, did it? He was going to be here forever, listening to them make jokes he didn't get because he hadn't been there. Before he could stop it, loud sobs began coming and before he knew it, he could hear Sirius telling James they'd catch up at another time.

"I get it, I'll come by and see you guys later," James said, patting Harry's head and smiling.

"Let's go to the Quidditch pitch!" Sirius said, with a wide grin on his face as he carried Harry towards the place he had first learnt to fly. Perhaps today was going to be an exciting day after all.

***LINEBREAK***

The Quidditch pitch had not changed since the last time he saw it, but it seemed so much bigger because he was so much smaller and therefore, everything seemed so much more overwhelming and daunting. The stands were huge, the rings seemed impossibly tall and it was disconcerting how everything seemed to loom so highly over him. This was something he'd noticed lately but here, it seemed so much more intense because where everything was level for flight.

"This is the Quidditch. I'm going to teach you to fly in a few years, isn't that exciting? If you're lucky, you'll get my talent and not your daddy's," Sirius said with a grin as he set Harry down on the grass and gave Harry his play snitch. Wasting no time, Harry immediately began running after the snitch, beaming proudly whenever he managed to catch the snitch. Simply being on the pitch was enough to make him try harder and the snitch seemed to be compensating and working harder to challenge him without actually going higher then he could actually reach. Several times the snitch would pull a new trick and he would wind up on his bum but he couldn't contain his laughter.

"Let's go eat lunch, Harry. Daddy's waiting," Sirius said as he picked Harry up and carried him towards the castle.


	7. Icky Yucky Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Hogwarts prompts Severus and Sirius to get Harry's vaccinations done which leads to a miserable sick day for Harry. How will Harry handle being sick for the first time in his new life?

Hogwarts was different in a lot of ways to Harry; actually, it wasn't the castle that was different, it was him. The last time he'd been here, he was 15 and could pretty much do what he wanted, go where he needed and nobody said a thing. But now, he was one-year-old and found himself completely limited in what he could say, do and the places he could go.

It had been nearly two weeks since he'd arrived at Hogwarts and he'd been to the Quidditch pitch, Severus's quarters, the Great Hall and a few of the classrooms but he was always with someone; not that he was complaining because he knew he needed them. He still needed people to do almost everything for him and as relaxing as it was to not worry about the fate of the world, he missed a few things about being older; like his attention span.

As a toddler, it was near impossible to focus on anything for longer than a few minutes and that was frustrating... when he could be bothered to notice that he'd lost focus on something. He was also surprised by his reactions to anything; his reactions were always so emotional and explosive. Something he would have been able to shake off now leads to tears and tantrums and things he would have only found mildly amusing were sending him into crazy fits of laughter and joy.

Perhaps this is why he slept so much now because everything he did was so draining and by midday, he could never keep his eyes open. This was all so new to him and he couldn't understand half the things he did anymore but at least he felt safe, happy and protected; he was no longer expected to save the world anymore and that seemed to balance out everything he'd lost. Actually, he hadn't really lost much because as he got older, he'd be able to fly again, go to school and do all of the things he'd been doing before. So actually, in the end, he was going to gain far more than he'd ever lost. This was a good way to look at it considering he was more than likely going to have to do it all again eventually.

At the moment, Harry was sitting at the head table with Severus watching as the first years came in to be sorted. Upon spotting Bill, Harry's legs began kicking to their own accord and a wide smile burst onto his lips.

"Bill!"

He hadn't meant to call the boys name but he found himself overjoyed when the boy waved back.

"Hat!" Harry said, pointing to the hat with a smile on his face. Severus smiled and rubbed Harry's head as they watched the sorting hat sort the first years. This was the first time he'd seen the sorting from this angle and it was interesting to hear the teachers place bets on certain students as they were sorted.

"Weasley, William."

Harry smiled and watched as the red-head made his way to the hat and soon enough, Bill was sorted into Gryffindor. The boy waved one last time to Harry before he made his way to the Gryffindor table and took a seat with his new house. After the sorting ceremony, Harry ate with Severud and soon enough, it was time for bed.

The next morning, Sirius was there when Harry woke up because Severus had started his classes; it was strange to not wake up and see Severus soon after but after a while, he was too distracted to care about the fact that Severus was gone.

Sirius had fed him chocolate chip waffles and chocolate milk for breakfast. After breakfast, he let him play with the snitch inside before putting Harry in a new outfit before taking him out of Severus's quarters.

They appeared to be going for another walk and Harry was thrilled to be walking through such familiar corridors. It was strange seeing them from this angle and despite the knowledge that he'd been through these corridors before, he could not remember exactly where they went.

Every once in a while, a candle, ghost or student would catch Harry's attention and he would do his best to get a closer look at them. It was a nice walk and when they walked into the hospital wing, Harry didn't think anything of it.

"Hello Sirius and is this little Harry! I haven't seen you since you were much smaller. Look how big you've gotten. Well, Sirius, sit down," Madam Pomfrey said in a rush as she handed Harry a small, magic toy to play with.

Completely fascinated by the way the object would change shapes, colours and textures, Harry didn't notice that the woman was rubbing something cool on his arm. He didn't notice anything Sirius or Madam Pomfrey was doing until he felt something pierce the flesh in his arm which was followed almost immediately by a burning sensation.

Dropping the object, Harry immediately began sobbing and crying as he noticed Madam Pomfrey taking a needle from out of his arm.

A needle? Why hadn't they told him they were going to be doing this? He wanted to be mad but right now, his arm hurt and his only concerns were burrying his face as deep into Sirius's chest as he could, in hopes that he could forget about the throbbing in his arm.

"I know, it hurts but you need your needles so you won't get sick," Sirius said as he rubbed Harry's back as another needle pierced his other arm, startling Harry back into tears.

"NO!" Harry cried; he'd never been given needles at the Dursleys and he had never gotten really sick; just the usual colds and flus, once he'd caught chicken pox from Dudley and been given the week with no chores because he was too delirious to do them but that was the sickest he had ever gotten. This didn't seem necessary.

"Bad Pa!" Harry cried, mad that Sirius hadn't told him about these needles today. If he could say more words, he would have told Sirius that he wasn't talking to him anymore and how betrayed he felt but he felt those words would sum it up perfectly.

"Good job, Harry! You were a very brave boy!" Madam Pomfrey said, causing Harry to stare at her. Brave? He screamed and cried; how was that brave?

"And because you were such a good boy, I'm giving you an ice lolly!" Madam Pomfrey said as she handed him a cherry ice lolly which despite the pain he was in, still brought a smile to Harry's face. He tried to glare at Sirius but found it hard to do with the ice lolly in his mouth.

"Let's go back home and you can take a nap," Sirius said carrying Harry to the hallway where they ran into Bill. Bill had a few books in his arms and was proudly wearing his new Gryffindor robes.

"Hey, Sirius! Hi Harry!" Bill said smiling.

"Bad Pa!" Harry said pointing to Sirius, making it clear he was mad at him. He wanted everyone to know how mean Sirius was. Bill glanced up at Sirius with his eyebrow raised and was clearly trying not to laugh but he found the childish explanation to be too adorable.

"I took him in for his needles and he's not very pleased with me," Sirius said sounding guilty; he did not enjoy taking Harry for needles but he knew they were needed to keep him from catching some of the more serious muggle and magic illnesses that children could easily fall very ill with.

"Mum just took Ron for his a while ago. He was mad until they cave him a treat and then he forgot all about being mad but Ron loves food," Bill said with a laugh.

"How are classes going?" Sirius asked as he moves Harry from one hip to the other, causing Harry to make a frustrated noise at the sudden movement. Did Sirius forget that his arms were sore?

"Okay, I've only had one so far but it was potions and I didn't blow up my cauldron," Bill said, reminding Harry about Severus. He wasn't mad at Severus.

"Wan' da!" Harry said, feeling a bit funny. It was really warm and he was feeling sleepy now.

"Daddy's done with his first class and he's back in our quarters. I'm sorry Bill but I think Harry just needs to rest now," Sirius said, carrying Harry towards the dungeons.

"Bye Bill!" Harry shouted before the boy disappeared completely from sight.

Back in their quarters, Severus was sitting on the couch reading a potions journal when Sirius and Harry arrived he set the book down and watched Harry carefully to see how he was looking.

"Da!" Harry cried, clumsily running towards Severus as soon as Sirius put him down on his feet. "Bad Pa! Bad Pa!"

Severus picked up Harry and immediately placed his hand on Harry's forehead before snuggling him to his chest. Harry felt so off, that the sensation left him feeling a bit light headed and warm but the amount of comfort was amazing.

"What did Papa do? Was he mean?" Severus asked and Harry rubbed his sore arm in reply.

"I'll talk to him later! Right now, I want you to drink this juice I made you," Severus said, handing Harry a bottle with purple liquid in it. Harry took a sip and began drinking it immediately. A few moments later, he found himself nodding off in Severus's arms.

When Harry woke up, his arms both hurt, his head was heavy and he felt warm and uncomfortable. This was horrible!

"Da! Pa!" Harry sobbed loudly, the sound only making his head hurt more. He felt miserable and he just wanted someone to hold him and snuggle him; something he couldn't remember receiving in his past life that he found himself clinging to in this one for dear life. He loved the fact that he always had someone to comfort him when he was upset and hoped it never went away. It was a feeling that was new to him but he was already completely addicted to the feeling of being taken care of and he didn't care if it was immature, he needed it. He needed to be comforted, cuddled and validated.

"Harry?" Sirius said coming into the room, his face was filled with concern and when Harry lifted up his arms to be held without making an effort to stand, he knew something was wrong. When he picked him up, he could feel just how warm he had gotten. Harry didn't waste any time before snuggling as close to Sirius as he could for comfort. He felt too gross to talk, to move or do anything else. He felt to yucky to go to sleep and too gross to be awake; he didn't want to do anything but be held and rocked.

"Let's get a potion into you and see if we can get you to feel better," Sirius said as he carried Harry into the kitchen and gave Harry a bottle with more of the juice Severus had given him earlier. After drinking the potion, his mind felt a little less foggy but he still felt gross. Snuggling closer to Sirius, he let the man feed him some oatmeal and soon, Sirius was sitting in the rocking chair; the rocking was very soothing... until it wasn't. Soon, his stomach was protesting every movement. Even his breathing seemed to irritate his stomach and when he opened his mouth to let out a whimper, his food came right back up over himself.

Before Sirius could react; Harry had already started crying out in discomfort. Now he was messy, his stomach was upset and his mouth was burning. This was a terrible feeling and Harry was not happy. He couldn't remember feeling this miserable since he got here; not even his teething left him feeling so horrible and nasty.

"Oh, Harry! Let's get you cleaned up," Sirius said, cuddling him without holding him any closer. Deciding to take a shortcut, he used his wand to banish the mess, his shirt, and Harry's soiled clothes before snuggling Harry closer. The snuggling did nothing for his stomach but he didn't want the man to let go of him either. Sirius carried Harry back down to the kitchen where he measured out a pale green potion into a bottle and fed it to him. The potion felt cool and nice against his stomach and soon his stomach had stopped squirming and jumping.

Cuddling closer to Sirius, he let out a content sigh. This time, Sirius was smart and didn't go the for the rocking chair; this time Sirius laid down in his bed with Harry snuggled close to his chest. He cast a spell of the bed so if Harry did get sick, it wouldn't settle into the sheets. He then began murmuring comforting words to Harry and rubbing his back until he fell back asleep.

Later that evening, when Severus came back, Harry was sleeping on Sirius's chest. He noticed that Harry's cheeks were still flushed and his face was still pale.

"How is he?" Severus asked softly as he kissed the top of his husband's head and felt his son's forehead; it was warm but nothing he was too worried about.

"He got sick once and he's been sleeping ever since," Sirius said, having just woke up a few moments before Severus came back home and was debating waking Harry.

Harry's eyes opened when he heard Severus's voice and he automatically put up his arms for him. Severus happily complied and Sirius took the opportunity to go to the loo and clean up a little bit.

Severus snuggled Harry close and fed him another potion which helped him feel better. He didn't want to be put down but he felt a bit better. His stomach wasn't upset but he certainly wasn't hungry. Severus gave him another bottle with a sweet juice that didn't really do much besides make his stomach feel a little bit better.

After a few minutes, Severus took Harry back to the bed and let him snuggle between him and Sirius. After a while, the three of them fell asleep together. Little did they know, that Harry was more happy and peaceful than he'd ever been before because this was his first real memory of someone holding and caring for him when he was sick in a very long time. It was then that he knew that they would do anything for him and that was enough to completely chase away his nightmares, if just for that one blissful night.


	8. The Burrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry spends some time at the Burrow.

The sun was shining when Harry woke up again; he was nestled securely between Severus and Sirius who were both snoring quietly. Feeling much better then he had the day before, Harry sat up and looked around the room.

"Da!" Harry said, poking Severus's head and watching as the man woke up with a stretch. The first thing he did when he fully awakened, was check Harry's temperature. After seeing his fever was gone, he cast a quick tempus before jumping out of bed and began rushing around the room to get dressed.

"Sirius! I slept in!" Severus cried as he threw on his clothes and dashed out of the room as Sirius woke up and slowly tried to figure out what was going on. He seemed to come to awareness when he noticed Harry crawling to the edge of the bed and with a swift motion, he grabbed the small child from behind before he toppled over.

Harry hadn't expected to lose balance so quickly gave Sirius a wide grin and giggled at the bewildered expression on Sirius's face; the man was certainly awake now.

"Where did you think you were going?"

Harry shrugged, unable to remember exactly what he'd been intending to do but at the moment he thought it had been important; perhaps it wasn't all that important.

"Eat?" Harry asked causing Sirius to bust out laughing.

"I guess someone's feeling better today," he said as he stood up to change Harry's nappy, his face glowing with relief and joy that Harry seemed to be feeling better. The thought so someone being this happy about his welfare brought Harry another burst of joy that he'd experienced quite a bit here but was still getting used to.

Over breakfast, Harry watched Sirius rushing in and out of the kitchen in an attempt to get something ready and as curious as he was, he was too hungry to try and figure out what the man was doing. Whatever he was doing, he seemed to be in a rush to get it done but he seemed excited.

He noticed that Sirius had given him a light breakfast, probably for in case his stomach was still sensitive. As smart as that was, he was hungry and this was not enough. He was used to more food but he wasn't going to complain until lunchtime; it wouldn't do any good anyway to make a big fuss.

"Harry, let's go!" Sirius said, scooping Harry from the highchair and bringing him over to the fireplace with a wide smirk on his face. Harry watched curiously as Sirius picked up a handful of floo powder and did a quick check to make sure he and Harry had everything they would need while they were gone.

When the man shouted 'the burrow', Harry smiled and began kicking happily as they tumbled into the Weasleys front room. As usual, the house was loud with sounds of various children laughing, arguing and even the sounds of a small baby crying. This was nothing out of the ordinary, so neither Sirius or Harry blinked an eye at the noise and ruckus.

Sirius carried Harry into the kitchen to find Mrs Weasley cleaning up the table while Ginny sat in a rocking baby carrier, slowly falling asleep. Mrs Weasley looked tired but she was scurrying around, casting spells at the table which would cause things to float to the sink, disappear or fold neatly towards the corner of the table.

"Hello, Sirius? And Harry... He looks peaky, is everything alright?" Mrs Weasley asked, her voice filled with concern and worry once she saw Harry.

"He had his needles yesterday, but he's much better today," Sirius said and he ran his hands through Harry's hair and gave him a quick snuggle. "How are your kids today?"

Mrs Weasley's expression changed briefly and the look of worry remained on her face.

"They're fine, expect Fred had a rough night. Woke up in the middle of the night screaming and we couldn't get him back to sleep for a few hours. This morning he wouldn't leave George's side; it was as though he was terrified he was going to disappear. I don't know what got into him, I think he had a nightmare," Mrs Weasley said as she finished cleaning the table and moved on to the stove.

Sirius set Harry into the large place pen with Ron and sat down at the table when Harry began examining one of Ron's magic toys; a whistle that alternated between producing bubbles, confetti or music when blown.

Sirius helped Mrs Weasley tidy the kitchen while he told her about how Harry reacted to the needles and how sick he'd gotten. He expressed how worried he'd been and how glad he was that Harry was feeling better.

"It helps if you give the fever reducer before the vaccines and continue to give it for the at least twelve hours after. I've also noticed that it's best to slip the stomach soother in with the fever reducer but that's about all you can do. No matter what, babies get cranky after vaccines and there's nothing you can really do but comfort them. It usually doesn't last long," Mrs Weasley said in a comforting tone. Sirius nodded, knowing she had been through several infant vaccinations and knew what she was talking about.

"Ma sis!" Ron said suddenly, pointing to Ginny who had begun crying loudly from the other side of the room. "Ma sis sad."

"No Ron, she's just hungry," Mrs Weasley said, grabbing a bottle and immediately began feeding her youngest child.

Later in the morning, Mr Weasley took the Charlie, Percy, Fred and George out while Sirius watched as Harry and Ron played in the backyard with a massive bubble maker. Harry was unable to believe just how many bubbles the object was able to make and the amazing shapes they seemed to form.

He hadn't known it was possible to get square or triangle bubbles but he was completely devoted to catching them; this was nothing compared to his joy when the bubble didn't pop in his hands but pool together to create new and exciting shapes.

"Ma sis nap," Ron told Sirius with a proud look on his face and he pointed to where Mrs Weasley was rocking Ginny quietly on the porch. "Ma sis no cry."

After lunch, Ginny was still sleeping and thanks to the charms Mrs Weasley put on her cradle, she stayed asleep even after Mr Weasley and the older kids noisily returned home.

Harry watched as Fred clung to George's side, his hands occasionally touching his ear as though he couldn't believe it was there. It wasn't until he spotted Harry that he stepped more than two feet away from his brother's side.

"Hi, Harry! Hi, Ron!" he said.

"I don't know, he rubbed at George's ear all afternoon," Harry heard Mr Weasley say to his wife. "I checked George's ear and I couldn't find anything. I even asked him if he hid something in his ear, he said 'no' but I'm going to check again once they go down for a nap."

After their nap, Charlie helped Percy read to Harry, Ron, Fred and George. Harry was fascinated by the wizarding fairy tale and didn't care that Percy stumbled nervously over the words he was reading. Percy, who was smiling proudly as he finished a page, would show the picture and smile wider as they reacted to the surprises on each page. The surprises included things popping out of the book and zooming around their heads before returning to the book before anyone could catch it.

By the time the story was over, Harry and Ron had fallen asleep and Fred and George were watching Percy read with drooping eyes. It was moments like this that he actually appreciated being so small; when he got tired, he simply closed his eyes and went to sleep. This amount of freedom to eat, sleep and relax whenever he wanted was amazing and it was something he would miss once it was gone but for now, he was going to enjoy the simplicity of his life.

It wasn't until he woke up later that he'd realised he had been taken home and was now by himself again and as usual, being alone left him anxious and nervous. It was hard to ignore that tiny voice in his head that told him he'd been forgotten and that nobody was coming for him. His fear made no sense but it hit him hard once in a while and there was nothing he could do to stop the tears and sobs.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked as he rushed into the room and scooped Harry into his arms and snuggled him close to his chest. The feeling of being snuggled helped him feel better as he snuggled as close as he possibly could to Sirius. It was moments like this that he felt a great amount of comfort just from being held and comforted.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Sirius asked, his voice filled with concern and worry.

Shaking his head into Sirius's chest, he snuggled even closer as to communicate that everything was fine.

Once Harry was changed and clean, Sirius took him downstairs to where Severus was sitting at the table where a few plates of pasta and chicken were waiting to be consumed.

"Da!" Harry exclaimed happily as he was put in his high chair as he stared hungrily at his food. He was really hungry, especially after eating such light meals earlier.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Severus asked as Sirius sat down beside him and they began eating.

"Lucus and Narcissa are going away next week and I was wondering how you'd feel about Draco spending the weekend with us?" Sirius asked in a casual voice, clearly knowing the man would love for his godson to spend a couple day with them.

"It's never a problem. He's your cousin and Harry loves him. We can plan something fun for while he's here," Severus said in between bites, while Harry smiled; this Draco wasn't a jerk, so he was fine with spending a few days with Draco.

It was moments like this that he remembered Draco was his cousin and that he was a Black by blood now; more importantly, he was no longer a Potter. That was the part that took the longest to fully compute in his brain. He was not a Potter, he probably wasn't even related to the Potter line anymore.

"You'll keep cousin Draco busy, won't you, Harry?" Sirius asked bringing Harry's attention back to him.

"Fly?" Harry asked, wondering what they would think he was asking. "We fly."

Severus and Sirius exchanged a strange look, Sirius looked smug and Severus just looked like he usually did but with a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

"Harry, you're too little to fly; a training broom doesn't let you fly until you're two," Sirius said with a wide smile on his face.

"Da fly!" Harry said with a smirk as he pointed to Severus.

"Now that is something I would like to see as well," Sirius said with a chuckle as he earned himself a mock glare from Severus who was giving Harry a few extra pieces of chicken.

"Back to Draco, when does he arrive?" Severus said with a small grin on his face. His expression was stern but Harry was able to now see past the snarls and see the man for who he really was; constant exposure probably had a lot to do with it.

"First weekend in December," Sirius informed Severus with a wide grin, clearly happy that Draco would be coming.

"Well," Severus said as he gave Harry a light pat on the head. "I think we need to start getting things ready for our visitor."

**Author's Note:**

> Harry has the body and emotional maturity of a one-year-old because certain body functions and emotional reactions take years to develop and the same goes for motor control.


End file.
